The average salary for a scientist in the United States is around $70,238 per year.
Avg Salary
Scientists earn an average yearly salary of $70,238.
Wages typically start from $40,360 and go up to $122,235.
16% above national average Updated in 2019
Scientist earnings by seniority
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Scientist salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $81,231 |
| Alabama | $70,051 |
| Arkansas | $64,947 |
| Arizona | $74,734 |
| California | $44,960 |
| Colorado | $80,514 |
| Connecticut | $86,938 |
| District of Columbia | $101,742 |
| Delaware | $84,106 |
| Florida | $73,608 |
| Georgia | $74,328 |
| Guam | $72,445 |
| Hawaii | $79,417 |
| Iowa | $69,412 |
| Idaho | $69,762 |
| Illinois | $77,949 |
| Indiana | $65,851 |
| Kansas | $63,762 |
| Kentucky | $63,999 |
| Louisiana | $67,341 |
| Massachusetts | $83,691 |
| Maryland | $94,553 |
| Maine | $67,110 |
| Michigan | $73,762 |
| Minnesota | $72,879 |
| Missouri | $66,306 |
| Mississippi | $72,771 |
| Montana | $68,654 |
| North Carolina | $72,356 |
| North Dakota | $70,845 |
| Nebraska | $70,811 |
| New Hampshire | $82,421 |
| New Jersey | $87,997 |
| New Mexico | $77,603 |
| Nevada | $77,402 |
| New York | $81,407 |
| Ohio | $73,383 |
| Oklahoma | $75,474 |
| Oregon | $74,174 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,837 |
| Puerto Rico | $54,194 |
| Rhode Island | $79,724 |
| South Carolina | $68,702 |
| South Dakota | $59,719 |
| Tennessee | $69,271 |
| Texas | $74,130 |
| Utah | $69,106 |
| Virginia | $81,690 |
| Vermont | $68,737 |
| Washington | $77,513 |
| Wisconsin | $68,510 |
| West Virginia | $64,497 |
| Wyoming | $69,311 |
How do scientist salaries compare to similar careers?
Scientists earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than chemists but more than historians.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Chemist salary | $72K |
| Climate change analyst salary | $71K |
| Industrial ecologist salary | $71K |
| Environmental restoration planner salary | $71K |
| Environmental consultant salary | $71K |
| Scientist salary | $70K |
| Biologist salary | $69K |
| Food science technologist salary | $69K |
| Soil and plant scientist salary | $63K |
| Historian salary | $64K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)